TKoL
by Raberba girl
Summary: First story: Platonic Axel/Saix. Out of twelve opponents, he just HAD to end up with this one, didn't he. SPOILERS for Dream Drop Distance.
1. Axel & Saïx

This Kind of Love

A Kingdom Hearts fanfic series by Raberba girl

Summary: 100 platonic pairings from Kingdom Hearts. For the "Other Kinds of Love" theme challenge on DeviantArt.

Introduction: This fandom has way way way way too much romance. Romance is not the only kind of love, yanno. I decided to combine this undertaking with my desire to write for a 100-theme challenge where I'd do all of my own and my friends' favorite KH pairings (not trios or groups, ftr), request pairings, and crack pairings that are not included on those lists. I won't write pairings involving characters from _The World Ends With You_ or Dream Eaters or, unfortunately, Vincent Valentine; or obviously characters I'm not familiar with (such as those from _Final Fantasy VI_, etc.). Or anyone from _The Nightmare Before Christmas_. Otherwise, you can ask for anything KH/Disney/...maybeFF, and I'll try my hand at it; hopefully I didn't forget any other characters I can't write.

There is absolutely no way I should have started this series now, before finishing even a single one of my other challenge series. But I loved this first story so much (when I was drafting it; I don't know how I feel about it yet now that it's complete) that I couldn't resist. I'm setting the goal at 10 for now, but I can't imagine not at least trying for the full 100. *wince*

Heh, I'm already breaking at least one of the "rules," but not the most/only important one, so it's okay.

**Weapon (Theme 54) - Axel & Saïx [rough draft]**

Summary: This scene has played out before. **SPOILERS**** for **_**Dream Drop Distance**_**.**

A/N: Takes place during a theoretical _Kingdom Hearts III_.

o.o.o

Do you know what it feels like, being forced to fight someone who was once your best friend? It feels like there's a knife sitting in your heart, even if you're not supposed to have a heart. And I _do_ have a heart now, apparently had one pretty much all along, and I can feel it bleeding even more than my flesh is bleeding as I'm fighting for my life against the guy who once had my back.

"You're getting slow, Sai," I taunt. Routine, automatic response to the fact that that last strike of his only missed me by a hair's breadth. "The old man's pace bogging ya down?"

No reaction. I might as well have not said a word. Which means it's definitely not my snarky, always-has-a-snappy-comeback Isa inside that body which happens to still have his face.

Xehanort is going to burn.

...Twelve of them. _Twelve_ of these yellow-eyed clones, and even with those odds, I still get pitted against this particular one. Is it really just coincidence, or are they doing this to twist the knife? Maybe it's nothing more than a battle tactic, better chances of defeating an enemy when you toss the opponent at him who'll be the hardest for him to fight.

It's not going to work. This guy, this not-Isa, I'm going to rip him to shreds, because he's standing between me and the one who took the real Isa from me.

"Axel!" Sora shouts.

Okay, now what is that supposed to mean, exactly? 'Axel, look out behind you!' or 'Axel, I've got a plan!' or 'Axel, I need help!' or 'Axel, duck so you won't get caught in the line of fire when I blast him!' or _what_?

No time to find out, because that split second of hesitation costs me. Isa - not Isa, _Saïx_ - moves like lightning. What I said earlier was just blowing smoke, because he hasn't slowed down at all, he's gotten faster. I bet he cheats by time-jumping or something, apparently they can do that now.

In any case, he's got me; hand hurts from the Keyblade getting knocked out of it, wrist hurts from the bad angle I'd tried and failed to block that new weapon of his at, back hurts from slamming against the ground, heart hurts most of all because I'd rather be burned alive than die like this. With him kneeling over me, I can't get free fast enough, and the blade's coming down, I can't help shutting my eyes because I don't want the last thing I see to be how perfectly composed my best friend's face is as he bashes my head in.

Earth-shattering impact. I'm dead now. For real this time, I guess. Killed by best friend. The universe hates me.

Except you can't keep raging at the universe when you're dead, so I open my eyes again and wow, he may have gotten faster but his aim kinda sucks, this close range and he _missed_. I have just enough time for the thought to start forming in my head that I should try to escape before he can lift the weapon again, but now his other hand's slamming down on my right arm to pin me; too late. Universe still hates me. Maybe I at least have a chance to re-summon my Keyblade, maybe I can-

"_No_," Saïx hisses, the first time I've heard him speak since I became human again. "Not for this."

"Come again?" I ask conversationally. Keyblade handle materializing in my grip. Not so useful now that I can barely move my arm, though. Silver-blue weapon rising again, maybe before it comes down I can punch him with the arm he's not pinning, I start swinging but he's so dang _fast_, fist meeting nothing but air and another crash that reverberates through my bones-

Thank God for bad aim. Again.

"_You won't use me for this!_" he screams. And suddenly I couldn't move even if I didn't have a berserker weighing me down. Because he's not completely expressionless anymore.

...Well, he is. Saïx is.

But there's another face looking at me too, now; like Isa's ghost - scarred and older, not the teenager I remember, still Saïx's face except...Isa's green eyes...the horror that the _real_ Isa would be feeling if it really was him trying to do this to me...it can't be. It can't be, I'm not going to hope, I'm _not_ going to hope, because if I'm wrong, if I'm just freaking hallucinating this because I want so much for it to be true-

"Lea," he whispers. "Run."

Um, still can't move, but whatever, I don't care, it's you, you're still in there, flaming Kingdom Hearts you're not dead you're not dead you're not dead I'm going to _kill_ him but first I'm going to try really hard not to cry because it's been so long, I didn't realize how much I missed you, I didn't realize _how freaking much_ I actually, really did miss you until now when it's actually YOU and all along it can't have been you because you wouldn't have hurt me the way Saïx did and you're hurting me now but that's only because I'm just realizing how much everything I'm remembering now must have hurt you all those years if it really was you in there listening to everything I said to Saïx as if I was saying it to you but I _wasn't_, I didn't know, but I should have known, I should have _understood_, I hate that-

"So you still exist?" he hisses. Saïx hisses. There's two of them, that blank face now twisting a little in displeasure, speaking in a voice that sounds almost like Xehanort's; the ghostly one of my friend, emotions roiling across it as Isa struggles to hold him back. "Stop resisting, you are at the end of your strength."

"You underestimate me," Isa tells him with a fierce grin, and I realize that he's been saving what was left of that strength, gathering every scrap of it, lying quiet all this time, through everything he had to endure for however long it's been, just so that he would be ready for this moment. So that he could give me this chance.

...He's sacrificing everything so that I can live, and I'm such an idiot that I can't even move because it's taking everything I have to not burst into tears.

You know what, screw it. I won't have to hold back tears if I'm already bawling. So I might as well drop that distraction, because shoving him off me and running like heck is kinda more important at the moment than keeping up the Flurry of Dancing Flames' dignity.

Luckily for my dignity, Riku saves me before I can even attempt to cry, Barrier Surging Saïx to the side so I can jerk free and scramble to my feet. "Axel, the portal's open, let's go!"

"But-" Isa. Isa Isa Isa, he's back, he's still here, he's alive, and now I'm supposed to just _leave him_?

Except I can't see Isa's face anymore, it's just Saïx now, roaring as he starts going Berserk, _oh no you don't_ I'm beating your stupid face in until you _give me back my friend_, except, oh, wait, that'd be beating Isa's face in too, hmmmm, how to do this-

"AXEL!" Riku's not the only one shouting at me now. Sora's jerking at me, Aqua's getting in my way, they're dragging me back and no, no, _no_ they are _not_ going to do this to me, not now just when I'm finally, FINALLY so close-

"Lea," Riku growls, catching my attention for a second because these doofs almost never call me by my real name. "_Lea_. You have to. He wouldn't want to be the reason you stay and die for nothing, when you had the chance to live."

"Come on, Axel," Sora pleads urgently.

I can see King Mickey in the distance, holding off Xehanort but he's having a hard time of it and he won't last for long...

"Get him out of here!" Roxas bellows. Saïx is in full Berserker mode now, completely lost in the moonlight. Even when we were still Nobodies, I was never able to reach him when he was like this. His eyes, swallowed by mindless gold, are fixed on me. The only reason he's not trying to rip me to pieces is because Rox and Xi are blocking him, and he'd have to tear them up first before he can get to me. "MOVE!"

...The days when Isa was my only friend are long over.

The strength drains out of me. "I'm coming back," I manage to say as they're suddenly able to get me moving.

"Of course," Aqua snaps.

"We all are," Sora says in a Duh voice. "Once we've got the last Key."

It's really Riku who persuades me, even though he doesn't say a word; all I have to do is see the pain in his eyes. He knows. He's been through this before. He would rather die than have to watch his best friend get killed because of him, and recognizing that on his face is the only reason I'm able to turn my back on Isa now, the only reason I can run from this battle empty-handed.

I do take one last look, though, before we disappear. The moonlight's at an ebb, Saïx can barely move, slumped there with only just enough strength to look up and meet my eyes. "Isa," I call to him. "I _promise_. I am coming back for you."

There's a flash of green behind the gold, and he smiles.

o.o.o

Author's Notes: ...I'd wanted to save this for my massive story/chapter update hopefully later this week, but...I felt like I had to post it now. I wrote it last night at, like, 2:00 in the morning because I kept getting eaten by plot bunnies for half the other fics I'm writing and I couldn't sleep, and if I could choose a single scene to have in a future game it would be something like this, but it's stupid fanservice wish fulfillment so I hate it but at the same time I want something like it so much and I _hate_ AkuSai angst and whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhyyyyyyyyy can they _never_ - _be_ - _happy_ and this scene has been playing in my head a lot until I finally realized yesterday that I could actually write it out and not have to wait for it to ever actually happen and I'm coming down with a cold or something but I have to work tomorrow and it seems like I've been constantly hungry the last couple of days but I hate eating and I get too sick to eat and today was supposed to suck because I was going to a horrible school with an upset stomach and only three hours of sleep but it actually went pretty well and I wrote some of a SaiJaz story before school and during conference but now my feet hurt and I'm so tired and I feel awful and I want to go to bed and gaaaahhh, I love my OTP so freaking much and I hate how my fluffy happy-ending version of it seems like it will never be canon and in hindsight I think I recognize what this was probably subconsciously inspired by and Axel refuses to do past tense in first person and I fail at titles and I think this is the first time I've written Saïx, _Saïx_ (not Isa), in a negative light, and it felt weird. *headdesk* *too tired to sit back up*

Complete: 1/10


	2. Xion & Naminé

_**This Kind of Love**_**, a Kingdom Hearts fanfic series by Raberba girl**

**Xion & Naminé (rough draft)**

Summary: They may be in high school now, but their childhood friendship hasn't changed a bit.

A/N: _Stepsiblings_ universe. At the moment, I have no idea if it's an AU or not.

**Xion**

I was bored. Wendy and Lily were both gushing over Peter again from across the courtyard and not paying attention to me at all, so I pulled out my phone to text Roxas until the bell rang. "_sup loser_"

"_im in class shutup_"

"_awww_" Why did public schools start earlier than ours, grr. "_luv u_"

"_ok_"

"_tell me u luv me to_"

"_whatever_"

"_:p_"

"_3_"

I sighed and put my phone away, since I didn't want him to get in trouble. So booooored...

**Naminé**

"Why are we just sitting here?" Evan complained.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"Be quiet," Lexaeus ordered. (Ordered Evan, not me. I think.)

"It's all right, Naminé," Daddy told me, putting an arm around me.

We sat for a little longer there in the parking lot. Evan twisted around so he could look at us in the backseat. "Is there a problem?"

"No," I whispered.

"She is gathering herself," Daddy said questioningly, and I nodded. He knows me so well.

"We can escort you, if you like," Lexaeus offered.

I felt my eyes filling with tears, and I shook my head. He's so nice.

"No...I think...I think it's better if I do it myself."

"Do _what_ yourself?" Evan said incredulously. "All you have to do is walk onto campus and find the first class on your schedule!"

"Evan," Daddy said quietly, "Naminé has not attended a traditional school since she was eight years old. She feels insecure and out of her depth."

Evan sighed loudly and pulled out a notebook. "Fine. Why should we care about running late, we can't _possibly_ have anything important going on in the laboratory."

"I'm sorry for making you late," I tried to say, but it just came out as a whisper. Daddy squeezed his arm around my shoulders comfortingly.

"No matter, I have long grown used to being subjected to your whims," Evan said dismissively. "Lexaeus, help me brainstorm variables while we wait."

"With color and without," Lexaeus said obligingly. "We ought to use either red or blue."

"Or both," Daddy put in.

"Yes, yes," Evan murmured as he scribbled.

"Eight millimeters and seven. Sunlight and moonlight."

"Fire would be better, don't you think?"

"And then of course there's the temperature..."

Their talk was soothing, and I was finally able to take a deep breath and step out of the car. Then I looked back at them. They were all watching me.

"...Lexaeus," I finally asked, my mouth dry. "Can...can you...after all...?"

"Of course." He stepped out of the driver's seat.

Daddy looked hesitantly. "And me...?"

"Yes, Daddy," I burst out. "I want you, too." I smiled. "And Evan. I want my whole family."

"Lexaeus and I are hardly related to you, young lady," Evan snorted, but he was already getting out of the car to join us.

I felt safe as we walked together, surrounded by three people who loved me, who were strong, who could handle anything. The other high schoolers were giving my 'bodyguards' strange looks and keeping their distance, and I didn't know whether to laugh or be worried. Then we found my first classroom and Daddy kissed me good-bye, and Lexaeus hugged me, and Evan patted my head, and then they were going away.

I wanted to run after them and tell them to take me back, I wasn't ready after all, I didn't want to come to school like a normal girl I wanted to stay with them in the laboratory where it was safe and where I knew how to handle the dangers, not like here, so open and exposed and so easy to be hurt when I wouldn't be expecting it...

No. I had to do this. I had to be strong...

I peeked into the classroom, which was empty except for the teacher working on her computer. "Hello," I whispered. No reaction. She didn't even hear me. I wanted to run, but I took a deep breath and forced myself to cross the threshold. "H-Hello..."

She was very nice. She introduced herself with a strong smile and a strong handshake, and I shook her hand back just like Lexaeus had taught me years ago. She showed me where my seat was and asked me if I liked literature, and I said yes, and we talked about _Jane Eyre_ until the bell rang, and I thought that maybe school wouldn't be so difficult after all.

Everyone was quiet, the first morning. In class, at least; nobody said anything, just watched the teachers. The teachers talked a lot and told us many rules and gave us lots of papers. I started putting everything that Daddy had to sign in the same folder so I could keep track of them all. From what I could tell, none of the schoolwork looked like it would be particularly difficult, some of it I had already learned a long time ago.

Between classes, though...it wasn't quiet. There were so _many_ of them, and they were so loud, and the way they shoved past me without even looking at me even when they made me drop things or run into things or other people, it made me feel invisible. _'I want to be back at the laboratory...'_ No one said anything nice to me, but no one said anything mean, either, which was good.

One boy leaning against the wall with his friends addressed me in a way I didn't understand, watching me with a grin I didn't quite like, but before I could ask him to clarify, a girl nearby hit him on the back of the head and said, "Ugh, you're such a perv!" Then they started arguing, the boy insulting her and the girl calling him names, but they were smiling, so I didn't understand. I hurried on again, hoping I could find my class by the time the bell rang.

I felt exhausted by the time I was allowed to go to lunch - not so much physically, but, just, all the noise... So many new things to take in at once, so many people, so much vulgarity. I wasn't used to it. My head ached a little, and I thought of asking Daddy again when I got home to let me please come back and learn with him where it was _quiet_, but...I had said I was ready for this...was I really not ready, or would I just be backing down from a challenge? _'Give it a chance,'_ I thought to myself. _'You've only been here for half a day.'_

I had my lunch with me already, I just needed to find a peaceful place to eat it. Not much chance of that, with chattering groups of students clustered at every table outside, and on every bench and under every tree and just loitering here and there wherever they felt like it...

I almost didn't see her for a moment, she was just another face among all the others. Then something about her laugh caught my attention...

She wore the sophomores' uniform, so she was a year ahead of me. Black hair like a raven's wing, longer than I remembered; so much older and so pretty, but her blue eyes hadn't changed at all. They sparkled with as much warmth and joy as they had back then.

_'Would she even recognize me?'_ She sat with two other girls on a ledge, one a dark-skinned beauty reaching over to tease her red-haired friend who sat with ladylike elegance on the other side. Between them: Xion. No longer a little girl. Even if she did recognize me, would she still like me?

I suddenly found that I could not bear the thought that she might not. I could hear in my imagination her laugh dying, see in my mind her eyes turning cool and aloof...I had to leave before she saw me.

**Xion**

"Heh...that girl's been staring at you. Maybe she has a crush on you," Lily said mischievously.

"Huh?"

"I do believe you're right, Tiger Lily," Wendy said in surprise. "At least about the staring. She was also looking at Xion earlier, wasn't she."

I frowned and turned to look where they were. "What are you guys talking ab-?"

All in white, with golden hair and huge eyes, she looked for a moment like an angel in the sunlight. Then, just as she was turning away, I recognized her. "It's-!" _Aw_. She grew up so pretty~~! "NAMIIII!"

Saïx tells me not to pounce on people, but I can't _help_ it sometimes, I'm so happy to see them. I heard her grunt a little as I grabbed her. Oops. She's so frail-looking, I hope I didn't hurt her... "Nami! It's me! It's Xion! You recognize me, right?!"

She looked over her shoulder at me, since she couldn't turn around because I was hugging her so hard. "X...Xion...?"

So cuuuuuute, just like a puppy~! "It's me! You recognized me!" I let her go so she could turn around and I could hug her properly. She grunted again, and I tried to loosen my grip. "I _knew_ I'd see you again! Do you come to this school now?!"

"Xion..." She smiled, such a beautiful smile, but it made my heart hurt for some reason. "I'm glad to see you."

"What classes are you in?! Let me see your schedule!"

"Heavens, Xion," Wendy laughed as she and Lily came up, "don't be so forceful, it's a bit rude, don't you think...?"

"I'm Tiger Lily," Lily announced. "Peter's mine, let's make that clear from the start."

"P-Pardon?"

"You don't own him, you know," Wendy said sourly. "Other girls have just as much right as you do to speak to him."

"No, they don't," Lily sniffed, flipping her hair back over one shoulder. "And you've got a lot more in mind than just 'speaking' to him, and you know it!"

"Oh, who cares about Peter," I said quickly. "Naminé, they both have the most insane crushes on that guy, so just don't fall for him and you'll be fine. But, _oh_, you're a freshman, aren't you! Noooooo, I won't ever see you except at lunch and maybe P.E.!"

She smiled again in that adorable way of hers. "I'm just so happy that you're here at this school, Xion."

"There's such a thing as invitations and outings, you know," Wendy suggested.

"Yeah! Nami, we're going shopping tomorrow, you want to come with us?"

"I...well, I suppose so. Thank you very much for inviting me."

She thought we meant _grocery_ shopping, the silly thing! It was so, so fun taking her from one store to another and making her try on cute stuff. And so hilarious afterwards when I dropped her off, too, seeing their _faces_ when they saw her in that adorable skirt, her dad and the two guys he works with.

"Naminé, you look lovely."

"Th...Thank you, Daddy..."

"One more gap in her social education that we missed," the biggest guy lamented, and Naminé took his hand.

"No, it's all right, Lexaeus, I enjoyed shopping with Xion and Wendy and Tiger Lily very much."

"Gah! This is how the adolescent mating rituals start, I _knew_ it had to happen sooner or later," the oldest one complained. "You had better not get tiresome, Naminé, I much prefer you as you have been up until now."

"She's not going to date for a while yet," Naminé's dad said firmly.

The big guy patted her head. "She can be simultaneously attractive _and_ sensible about courtship. Our Naminé has a good head on her shoulders."

"I don't even like any boys yet," Naminé said, her cheeks kind of red.

"Don't worry," I told them, putting an arm around her shoulders. "We'll look out for Nami and make sure she doesn't fall for any creeps."

"We're trusting you, Xion," her dad said, only a little bit playfully.

"You can count on me!" I smiled at my friend. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay, Nami?"

"All right. Good-bye, Xion." She smiled back. "I'm looking forward to it."

"I'll be staying with my brother, so you can meet him; and hopefully my other brothers Axel and Roxas, too."

"There are...three of them...?"

"They're really nice," I assured her. "Saïx is really, really, REALLY nice, okay? I _promise_ you, he's not mean at all." Well, I was kind of lying, but Naminé was so fluffy that I knew he'd do his best not to hurt her, and if I cuddled him enough, hopefully I could make him cute enough for her to like him. "And, well, Roxas can be dumb sometimes, but he's just a dork; he's nice, too. And Axel's FANTASTIC." He could get a little carried away with fluffy people, but I think me and Saïx together can hold him back... "You'll love them, really!"

"I can't wait."

I gave her one last hug and then went home, my heart still singing. I love my friends, and I _love_ it when people love me back. I hope Naminé never moves away ever again, because I'll miss her too much; she and I are friends for life.

o.o.o

Author's Notes: **FFN ate half of it, but the last thing that Roxas texts to Xion is a heart. *sweatdrop* This story makes more sense if you've read **_**Stepsiblings: Daughters of the Heart**_**, which in turn make more sense if you've read both **_**Stepsiblings: Another Side**_** and **_**Studied Sketches**_**.**

Complete: 2/10


	3. Sora & Kairi

_**This Kind of Love**_**, a Kingdom Hearts fanfic series by Raberba girl**

**Sora & Kairi (rough draft)**

_For (a late) Sora/Kairi Day_

Summary: Sometimes it hurts to keep smiling...

o.o.o

"Sora? Can I come in?"

"Yeah..."

Kairi carefully opened the door. Sora was sitting on his bed, surrounded by books and papers and writing instruments and a calculator, but he wasn't actually working. He was staring out the window, and the only thing in his hand was the scroll Kairi had brought him from the King. She smiled sadly and went to sit on the bed as well. "I know it has to be hard."

"I'm going," he said helplessly. "It's not like I would ever _not_ go. It's just...I just...thought..."

"You thought it was over," she said softly. Safe home on the Islands, reunited with the family he'd been separated from for so long, just starting to catch up on all the schoolwork he'd missed - _just_ when he'd started settling back into a normal life. But now this. Sora and Riku both, it was almost like they were fated for something beyond the ordinary, adventures with greater joys and deeper pains than anyone else from these islands could even imagine. Not an interruption, but a transition to a greater calling from which they could never truly turn back.

Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It's just... "Sora," she said. She felt bad for asking, and she knew what he would say, but she had to make sure. "How much of it is because you want to, and how much is because you feel you have to?"

He didn't answer as quickly as she expected. Finally, he spoke. "Does it matter?"

She waited.

"If I'm gonna do it either way...does it matter how I feel about it?"

"It matters to you," she said softly. "How hard is it to smile?"

"...Right now?"

She held out her arms. "Then don't. You don't have to smile for me if you'd rather cry instead."

He didn't cry. But he did lay his head against her shoulder and rest in her arms for a long time.

The next day, when she set that star-shaped charm in his hand and promised to be waiting for him when he came back, he met her questioning look with a smile, and the pain behind it was gone.

o.o.o

Author's Notes: This was my attempt at a Sora/Kairi Day fic for September 17th, but I got writer's block close to the end and didn't finish it in time. :/

...Holy _cow_, this drabble was lame. SoKai may be my KH canon OTP, but I think I kind of hate them in fandom. DX

Complete: 3/10


	4. Riku & Naminé

_**This Kind of Love**_**, a Kingdom Hearts fanfic series by Raberba girl**

**Riku & Naminé (rough draft)**

_For Riku/Naminé Day, 8 December 2012_

Summary: There are a lot of things Naminé has never experienced before, and only one person around to teach her... Platonic fic for Riku/Naminé Day.

o.o.o

It was getting hard to draw...her eyes hurt. She had been staring at white pages in this white room for so long, she was starting to lose focus. Her hand ached. _'Can I...stop? Or will DiZ...?'_ No. Better keep going. He usually came to tell her when it was getting late and she needed her rest so that she wouldn't wear herself out and become useless.

She finally did hear approaching footsteps behind her, but was startled to turn around and find that it was not DiZ, but a figure in a black coat. "Oh - hello, Riku. I'm sorry, I wasn't able to get much done today, either..."

He tilted his head as if to survey all the papers on the floor, some full drawings, but many more crumpled failures. "That's all right. I know you've been working hard." He stepped up to lay his palm against the glass behind which his best friend slept. "Still snoozing, Sora...?"

Naminé respectfully gave him a moment. He soon sighed and turned to face her again. "Come on. It's getting dark."

"I'll try to do better tomorrow..."

"Don't worry about it. You're doing a great job." His tone was not particularly bright, but she saw respect in his expression, and it seemed to warm her a little.

"Thank you, Riku. That...means a lot to me."

They walked back to the main part of the mansion in silence, she clutching her sketchbook and he most likely brooding. "Are you back for the night, or are you going out again later?" she ventured once they had reached the warm brown walls.

"I'm staying in tonight...I've hit a dead end for now, and I'm tired."

"Oh." She wasn't sure how to tactfully say that she would be glad of his company. "I hope you're able to rest well."

"Mm."

In the kitchen, she watched him surreptitiously as she put together a sandwich. He was cooking some meat on the stove, with a pot of water standing by. It smelled delicious. "What are you...making?"

"Just pasta. I don't feel up to trying anything fancy."

To Naminé, anything involving the stove was 'fancy,' but she had an idea she probably should not tell him this.

"Do you want some?"

"Umm..."

He smiled a little. "I'm making more than I can eat in one sitting, anyway. You're welcome to the rest."

"Oh...all right, if it's no trouble."

"Absolutely none."

She began to watch more openly as he set the cooked beef to drain. He noticed, and chuckled again. "You want to help?"

"I..."

"Here, dump this pasta in the colander and rinse it off."

"Okay," she said, relieved to not be making him do all the work after all.

He let her pour the tomato sauce in, too, clicking his tongue in regret when she accidentally splashed a little on her dress. "Sorry about that. You need to go clean up?"

"I'll be fine," she assured him. It wasn't like anyone around here would care what she wore, as long as she kept doing her job.

"Okay..."

As they waited for the pasta to finish cooking, an awkward silence began to stretch out between them. "So...where did you go today?" she finally asked.

"Neverland. Kind of a pain, people are hard to track there..."

"Really?" she asked politely. She had an idea that 'track' meant 'look for.'

"Yeah. Because of the pixie dust - a lot of them can fly, and you don't leave traces behind when you're in the air."

"Oh." She wondered what it was like to fly. "So you don't like it?"

He tapped his fingers thoughtfully. "Well...it's a fun world, actually. I think I'd like it better if..." He sighed. "If my life was normal."

"Oh." She wondered what a normal life was like, too. She was pretty sure that hers was not, if the other young people in Twilight Town were anything to go by.

Riku seemed to be studying her. Then he smiled. "I'll take you there someday, Naminé."

She looked at him in surprise. "To Neverland?"

"Mm hm. I think you'd like it."

She found herself smiling, too. "I'd like to go there." She'd like to go pretty much anywhere that wasn't here, actually.

Eating dinner was kind of fun with someone to talk to. She actually heard Riku laugh once or twice - he had a nice laugh. She wished he'd do it more often. "You have a nice laugh, Riku."

"Huh? Oh..."

She'd never seen Riku look uncomfortable like that. He usually seemed so unruffled, like he always knew what he was doing.

"I guess I _am_ a pretty gloomy guy. Sorry."

"No, not at all! I was just thinking...I'd like to hear your laugh more often."

He smiled a little and ducked his head more than usual to take another bite of pasta. She noted curiously that his face seemed to be a little red. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah...man, it's weird hanging out with a girl again. A not-evil one, anyway."

"You don't like it?" she asked apprehensively.

He sighed and shook his head, but he was still smiling. "It's just that you're so li- So easy to-" He blew out a frustrated breath at his difficulty articulating. "I just feel all big and clumsy around you. I...don't...know how to be nice."

"I think you're really nice."

"Man, Naminé...stop complimenting me, I...you're...gonna give me a big ego again."

She ducked her head and was afraid to say anything else. Until, after silently finishing the meal, Riku got up and washed the dishes and then came and laid a gentle hand on her back. "Naminé."

"...Yes?"

"I like hanging out with you, you know. You're a sweet girl."

She was afraid to look at his face, but she was desperate to see if he really meant it - he did. "I'm not bothering you...?"

"No way. You just..." He looked thoughtful as he chose his words. "You...make me feel better than I think I deserve."

She wasn't sure what to say to that.

"...Come on."

"Where are we going?" she asked as they climbed the stairs.

"Uh, my room...just to hang out, I won't try anything," he said, a little nervously.

"Try what?"

"Never mind..." He was doing that strange red-faced ducked-head smile again. "Man, you're funny..." Then he suddenly stopped, as if something had occurred to him. She waited patiently. He turned to look at her and said in a serious tone, "Naminé. Don't go anywhere alone with a guy, okay? Like if you're in town or something. You'll be safe with me, but...random guys you don't know...it's safer if you stay in the open where there's a lot of people, okay?"

"Okay. Why is it dangerous?"

He gave a helpless little laugh. "Man, I am so not ready to explain birds and bees to a girl old enough to date me..."

She kept looking at him in utter perplexity.

"Tell you what - ask DiZ about it tomorrow. I wanna be there to get a picture of his face."

"Riku," she said helplessly, "I really actually don't know what you're talking about at all."

"I can't decide if that's a good or a bad thing..."

His room was cleaner than she expected - not too dusty except in the corners, the few personal items in it arranged tidily, the sheets scented faintly from laundry detergent. "What's this?" she asked curiously, picking up one of the items on the dresser to inspect.

"Huh? It's just mouthwash. I'd put all that stuff in the bathroom, but either Dusks or Heartless keep getting into it, and it's easier to keep them out of my stuff when it's all together."

"Oh. What's this one?" The colors on the bottle were pretty.

"Hair gel... Hey, let's, like, not sort through my grooming stuff, okay?"

"Oh." She looked at him unhappily as he took the hair gel out of her hands and started shoving all the pretty bottles and things into a drawer. "I'm sorry."

"No problem. ... Man, Naminé, you make me feel like I kicked a puppy or something... I'm not mad at you okay? It's just...um...feels weird having a girl go through my stuff like that..."

"I won't do it again," she promised. She backed up to the middle of the room and stood with her hands clasped together, determined not to touch anything else.

He seemed to watch her for a moment. Then he grinned a little and shook his head. "You know what, whatever; just look at whatever you want."

"Oh...no, I'm fine."

He blew out a breath. "Man, I'm an idiot... Here, sit down." He took hold of her shoulders and gently steered her into a chair. "Just make yourself comfortable, all right?"

"Okay..."

"..."

"..."

"Here." He went over to pull something out of a drawer in the nightstand. "You ever seen one of these before?"

He put it into her hands, and she stared at it. "Um..."

"Heh, I take that as a No. It's a DS. I brought it along because I thought I'd need to kill time, but I've barely touched it... Hey, this is the On switch. Slide it this way."

"Okay..." She nearly dropped the device when it suddenly lit up and made a dinging sound.

"Heh, easy. It's gonna flash lots of colored lights and pictures and make noise, okay?"

"Okay..."

He edged his blindfold up slightly and then helped her make the words and pictures change, and when he noticed her wincing, he turned the volume down so that the noise didn't grate on her ears so much. They eventually got the screen to show a picture of a boy standing on a beach.

"So you can make him walk around by using those arrows, see? Try it."

"Me?"

He chuckled. "Yes, you. Let's see if you have any latent gaming talent."

"Huh?"

"Press an arrow button, Naminé."

It helped when he scooted over behind her and put his arms around her and his hands over hers, pressuring her fingers to hit the right buttons at the right time. "Ohhhhh." She knew how to get the boy to move around now. She made him jump onto a ledge. "Look, Riku! He jumped."

"Good job, Naminé!" He looked amused for some reason. "Here, let's jump one ledge higher and try to grab that star."

"The star?"

"They give you extra points."

"...Points?"

Eventually, she was able to do it all by herself, pressing the buttons so that the boy in the 'DS' walked and ran and jumped around, collecting things from the tiny beach. Riku leaned over her shoulder to watch, praising her whenever the numbers in the corner went higher.

"What does that mean?" she asked apprehensively when the screen blacked out after making bright flashes.

"Means you finished the training level. Come on, let's go kill some monsters now."

"Kill monsters?" she said in alarm.

She was surprised to realize, a while later, that getting to bash ugly, mean creatures with a weapon until they disappeared and stopped hurting her gave her a feeling of satisfaction. "Look, Riku. I killed eleven of them." Bash, bash, bash, poof! "Twelve. I killed twelve."

"You're doing great, Naminé. Now, stop here and drink another Potion and use the save point, the boss is in the next area."

"Boss?"

IT WAS SO SCARY. She squealed and tried to shove the DS at Riku, but he only laughed and tried to give it back, and when she wouldn't take it, he put his arms around her again so that the two of them fought together.

"No! No no no Riku he's hurting me he's-"

"Calm down, just move out of range and aim the next one at his- Oooh, hold on, don't tense up like that, I can't move your fingers-"

"THAT'S THE-"

"Jump, Naminé!"

"Aaaaahhhh!" She couldn't understand why he was laughing.

GAME OVER

She stared at the screen. She was dead. No, the boy was dead. She'd let him die.

"Crap, Naminé, don't cry," Riku said quickly. "Look, look, look, look."

She looked, feeling like she wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out so that she would never have to hurt anyone else ever again.

"Look. I'm loading from the last save point. This is what save points are for."

She stared. "He's back," she whispered.

"There's always a second chance, Naminé," Riku said softly. "And a third, and a fourth, and however many you need. Come on. Let's beat this guy together."

She let him put his arms around her again, and she breathed deeply, and this time she trusted him. The boy was alive after all. Riku was guiding her. It would be all right - there was nothing to be afraid of.

"R-Riku-"

"It's okay, try a Blizzard spell to counter it next time."

"Huh?"

"I'll show you in a- Whoa, Dodge Roll Dodge Roll Dodge Roll, good, yeah, if you keep doing that when the light starts shining over his hand, it's harder for him to hit you. OOH, he's open, go for it, quick before the shield regenerates!"

"What?"

He laughed. "Well, at least it's easier to press buttons when your fingers aren't all stiff..."

"I'm hitting him."

"Good, Naminé. Ooh, Dodge Roll out of there now, we have to circle around and try again once he's unleashed that."

WINNER!

"Riku...it says I beat Level 1."

He smiled and held up his hand. After a minute, he reached for her hand and slapped her palm against his own for some reason. "Awesome, Naminé."

She felt so good. She had never felt so incredibly good in her life before. "I beat him," she whispered. "He tried to hurt me, but I beat him and he's gone. He can't hurt me anymore."

If she was so happy, why was she crying?

"Naminé," Riku said in alarm. "What's wrong? You won, you know? You won."

It was...just...being here with him...having someone who was kind to her, who helped her and was patient with her and didn't hate her... But she didn't know how to say it, all she could manage was, "I like video games."

After a moment, he smiled a little and hugged her. She wrapped her arms around him and decided that she liked being held, too.

o.o.o

Author's Notes: **Ftr, I don't actually approve of video games in general (huge time wasters, if nothing else! XD)**, but I did notice some interesting...parallels, while playing FF and KH RPGs.

The RikuNami in this fic is definitely platonic, but seeing as how the two of them lived together for an entire year, both lonely and with no one else for company, I can't imagine that they _wouldn't_ be good friends by the time KH2 starts, so it's easy to see it possibly turning to romance someday. (Or not. I honestly don't care. XD) I don't mind them as a couple in other universes, and they make a nice default pairing to fall back on. And for me, RikuNami would have a happier ending than SoNami, since I firmly ship SoKai.

Anyway. That's my two cents. I like RikuNami (Riku's my favorite pairing for Naminé, which is kind of dumb since RepliNami is my favorite for poor Repliku), but I wanted to specifically try them as a platonic pairing for RikuNami Day. And if I was gonna do that, I figured why not toss it into the TKoL series. XD (Man, I haven't even been using the prompts at all. *sweatdrop* Whatever; I'll use them for another series or something.)

Hand-writing the beginning of this fic (about a page) felt like pulling teeth (Riku didn't want to be shipped in a Pairing Day fic at first, even platonically XD), but for the rest of it which I drafted on the computer, it flowed quite well. The pairing worked a lot better than I expected, so I like it even more than I did before. ^^

Complete: 4/10


	5. Roxas & Naminé

_**This Kind of Love**_**, a Kingdom Hearts fanfic series by Raberba girl**

**Roxas & Naminé (rough draft)**

_For Roxas/Naminé Day, 28 March 2013_

Summary: It's not true "escape" unless the three of them are together.

A/N: **Takes place in the same universe as a still-unpublished AU fic.** Sora and his younger siblings Roxas & Naminé have been captured by Xehanort. Rox & Nami are about...I dunno...anywhere from eight to twelve years old, I haven't decided yet.

o.o.o

Naminé waited until the lights went out, crouching in the cold and gripping the scarf tightly around herself. Then, as soon as it was safe, she hurried to the delivery chute and crawled though until she gained access to the laboratory. "Roxas?" she whispered in the darkness. She couldn't see anything except a dim glow from the window.

"Here," he whispered back.

After a long time, she finally managed to find a lamp and light it without knocking anything over.

"I thought you ran away," Roxas said, his voice tight as if he was holding back tears.

"Never," she said quickly, rushing to him. "Never, never, never, not without you and Sora."

"But...if you go...at least you'll be safe."

"I'll _never_ leave you, Roxas," she said fiercely.

He gripped her hand and turned away, ashamed to let her see his face but unable to bear it without some kind of connection with her.

"Roxas," she said, "I brought you some food."

"Food?!"

"Yes," she said, struggling to get it out of her pockets and then poke it through the bars of his cage without dropping it. "The pretty ladies all let me eat lunch with them, and I saved you as much as I could."

Roxas didn't answer, he was too busy stuffing pastries in his mouth. "It's so good," he gasped desperately.

As he ate, she took the precious scarf and threaded it through the bars, wrapping half of it around her twin. It was best when they were able to share its warmth.

"There's no more?" Roxas said longingly, licking the last of the crumbs from his fingers.

"I'm sorry... Oh, but Mr. Vexen gave me this." She found the little container in yet another pocket. "Where are you hurt most?"

"Uh...I dunno, it hurts all over..." He paused. "My neck," he decided, pointing to the burn without touching it.

She nudged the scarf out of the way and then scooped out a bit of ointment.

"Is that gonna hurt?" Roxas said warily.

"J...Just a little at first, but then it goes away and feels nice."

Roxas gripped the bars hard and didn't make a sound as his sister dabbed the ointment on him as gently as she could.

"It'll be all right, it'll be all right, it'll go away in a minute," she chanted soothingly.

After a while, he released a deep breath and relaxed, closing his eyes as he rested his head against the bars.

"Does it feel better?" she asked apprehensively.

"Yeah..."

She took his hand, which felt cold. "I wish I could do more to make you feel better."

"Just stay with me," he whispered. "It's worse when I'm alone."

"Oh, Roxas..."

He suddenly opened his eyes. "But I can handle it. I'd rather you be safe. If you can find a way to escape, Naminé - do it, okay?"

"Not without-"

"I'd rather _die_ than let them hurt you," he said fiercely. "Sora would, too. If you can get away, _forget_ about us."

"..."

"Promise me, Naminé."

"I love you," she whispered.

Maybe he thought she was agreeing, because he closed his eyes and relaxed again. She took hold of his other hand, too, and they huddled as close as they could, drawing warmth and comfort from each other in the dark hours they had left before morning.

o.o.o

Author's Notes: In my first plan for the original (still unpublished) story, RokuNami's relationship was romantic, Belle was in her Shadowless Princesses pairing, and the story had a tragic ending. I couldn't stand the sad ending at first, so I thought to make an alternate version with a happier ending; and since I'd be changing it already, I figured that, for a friend's sake, I'd turn the RokuNami platonic and let Belle have Xigbar instead.

However, a lot of time has passed as the fic continues to languish incomplete, and my views have shifted. I don't think I have the energy to make an alternate version. My love for platonic love has exploded, and my distaste for RokuNami romance has grown - I decided that I want to avoid RokuNami romance whenever possible in new fics, and I want to try them as siblings, since I never have yet. And I've found Xigbar to be difficult to write in non-humor contexts, so I'm really procrastinating and dragging my feet on the Xig/Belle pairing, whereas Belle's real Shadowless Princesses guy clicks much better and interests me more.

So. What all this means is that, when I do finally get the fic published, there probably won't be any alternate versions, sorry. The sad ending seems to suit it better, Belle will have the guy she's supposed to have rather than Xig as a substitute, and the RokuNami will be platonic.

Complete: 5/10


End file.
